Ax guard



June l0, 1930. R. E. BROWN Y Ax GUARD Filed oct. 17, 1929 I?. EZQ Wn IN VEN TOR.

BY A y' ATToRNEx/.r

liatlenteezl June 1.0, 1930 vinventioI-rrelates' to'axes vand inore particularly to `a guard by means-of which the r Cutting I- edge of 'the ax lihead 'may n shielded and prevented 'ffrornf becoming.l

the ax'is'fnot in use'. e. .Y One object of the invention yis to providea guardI ladapted to loe Carried by theffhandle o'tfan axand so Constructed and` mounted Chilled or aocidentalglycutting av person'whenr `l!) thatitgmay be swungironi a'folded position in whiehit 4isnestedf'within al portion off'the handle to an extendedl position in which a portion of the `guard extend-s alongthe outi tnedge Of the @X 1tion theretoid, .H v l rh Another' object of Athe invention is lto so form the guard AVthat when foldeditmay l be reduced'to a cornpaet Inassjand disposed within a "pockets formed in the"-'axhandlel ,29 withoutfit-be'ing neoes'saryto orrnapooket of rsueh size that the handler will loe .weakened s'uiiioielltly to` oallseit tobefliable '159.

break. l Another Volo jectV ofy r inventif1on1' is: to al- 2-5 low the guard to loevery` easily moved'from a;*oldfe'dfto` al1/extended position .and t pro Verlyaloout, the cutting edge ofthe ax hea@ gevenlif theic'uttingedgeuhas been worn away by Y repeated isharpenings.

Another olo'eot-of the if vent mit a springto the uard and''therebyl cause .the 4guardto loe f retalned in either a-oldedor extendedV position "f 'Y 'f" panyingdrawing.whereinvl s A .Figure l-is a,view'showingthe'ilnproved guard applied toan tax and in anex-tended position l'for use, thewiew being partially in elevation and partially in section; f y I Fig is .a'sectional view -througlthe han-y dle 'with the guard. shown in 2 elevation and in a retracted orololedpos-ition,

. ....Fig. .23' is a. transverse f sectional view V through the/guard and handle taken `on Y the,"

Fig. :4: .is .a -View lookingY at'the outer edge.

-Yfaoenof the shank ottheguard. n riEhe .ax to which theimpro'ved guard has been,shown-applied'includes the usuali-lead head in shielding relah i v *i1-The guardia be used in connection. with The inventionis illustrated the accorn- 1v fo rnedwith-*anl eye'` tok receive the Vhandle The ,handle inayfloelformedof wood or 'any other desirediinaterialv and vralongiifs 4 iront is providedfwith af longitudinally ex-l tending V'pocket 3,'Kone end-ofi which is. 1re-,165 duced in. depth. to vprovide aseat 4L. vA leaf spring extends Vlongitu'dinally-` within' the Y pocket 3 and j hasone end-.-portion resting against theseat 4 whereit is secured byfa pin extending transversely"through theax @u handleand'y preferably -ormedwith heads* flat itsiendsg'asshownin -F-ig. 3, so that-the v ping willhe preventedirom slippingout-'of'YYY Y place', f l y.

y meansl of which the cutting v edgelofthe axf'head is to befshielded consists formedl of I metah, valthough other materials extendingr channel or 'receiving-jthe shieldv 8 andv at its outer end the shank is provided Qwitheanend wall V10 constituting an alout-k f C ment Lvto limit outward swingingmovernent rie.d.loy :'thexfhandlej extends through 'the Y pocket andinner end portion of 'the' shank e f ltoipivotally Inount the shank for swinging movement from the extended position shown.

in Fig;l lkfto the folded positionshown 80 Figiy and atits inner-end thefsh'ank may,

it so ydesired,jl: e provided .with a shortwall oritongue 12 which bearsagai-nst the freefen'd i l *Y portion of the'spring 5 and allows the shank f tobeswungaboutits pivot kwithout scoring V85V j the :springend causing `the spring to be olniellv worn through; `.lti` should also'be l *,noted that this Aprovides an .innen end of Vthe shankwithf arflat.facefagainst whichthe l Y. spring loearsV when the shank is extended 90 vy Inaybe employed. The shank!) isU-shaped eKV in cross section to provide a 'longitudinally 'Z0 pin 11 and projects slightly from the pocket.`

Therefore, when use of the axisV no longer necessary, the shield may be easily graspedV vbe formed with an end Wall 14 which serves to engage the outer edge face of the ax head and prevent the shield from sliding longitudinally of the cutting edge to-Wards a folded position when the guard is extended for use.

Vihen the ax is in use, the guard is folded, as shown in Fig. 2,k lwith the shield fitting into the shank between the side walls thereof and the shield and shank are disposed longitudinally within-the pocket 3. The free end portion of the shield rests Vagainst the atfits free end and drawn outwardly. In sodoing the shank is drawn outwardly with it and the shield and shank moved to the position Vshown in Fig. 1 with the shield disposed in straddling relation to the `,cutting edge of the ax head. The end wall 10 of the shank prevents the shield from moving outwardly about its pivot 13 beyond the position shown in Fig. 1 and the end-'wall- 14 by engagement with :the outer edge of the ax head prevents the shield from accidentally sliding llongitudinally of the 'cutting edge towards a folded position. In View of the fact that the free end of the spring bears against the tongue or short wall 12 at the pivoted end of theshank when the guard is extended the pressure exerted by the spring will retain the shank-in the position'shown V in-Fig. 1 andthe shield will be held in proper-engagement with the ax head.- It will thus be seen that the guard will serve very eectively to shield the cutting edge of the ax head and kprevent danger of thercutting Yedge being nicked if the ax is dropped when not in use and also prevent danger of a .person being accidentally cut. lVhen the y guard-is folded, it lits snugly into the pocket Y and as it bears against the spring 5 it will be retained inthe pocket and prevented from accidentally swingingoutwardlyl A 1 spring 15 is provided in the shank to engage pocket, and a; guard for the cutting edge of the ax head-movable from a folded position within lthe pocket to an extended Vposition and consisting of an inner strip, and an outer strip pivoted to the inner strip and adapted to cover thel cutting edge of the ax head when extended.

V2.V An ax comprising a head, a handle extending from said head and formed along its front with a longitudinally extending pocket, a guard for the cutting edge of .the ax head movable from a folded position within the pocket to an extended position and consisting of a shank ofa length to extend longitudinally within the pocket when folded and being pivotally mounted at one end, and a shield pivoted to the free end of said shank and adapted to extend along the cutting edge of the ax head in shielding relation thereto when the guard isextended.

3. An axv comprising a head, a handle extending from said head and formed along its. front with a longitudinally extending pocket, and a guard for the cutting edge of the ax head movable from a folded position within the pocket tvo-an extended position and consisting of a shank of a length to extend longitudinally within the pocket when folded and being pivotally mounted at one end,'a shield pivoted to the free end of said shank and adapted to extend along the cuttingedgeof the ax head'in shielding relation thereto when the guard is extended, `and a spring in said pocket engaging said shank to yieldably'retain the guard infolded and extended positions. Y

4. An ax comprising a head, a handle extending from said head and formed along its front with a longitudinally extending pocket, and a guard for the cutting edge of the ax head movable from a folded position within the pocket to an extended position and'consisting of a shank of a length to extend longitudinally within the pocket when folded and being pivotally mounted at one end, and va shield pivoted at one end to the free end of said shank, the shield being channeled and Vadapted to straddle'the cutting edge of the ax head inshielding relation thereto when the guard is extended.

5. An ax comprising a head, a handle extending from saidf head and formed along its front with a 'longitudinally extending pocket, and a guard for the cutting edge of the ax head movable from a folded position within the pocket to an extended position and lconsisting of a shank of a length to extend longitudinallyY within the pocket when folded andbeing pivotally mounted atv one end and having spaced side walls and an end wall at its free end, and a channeled shield pivoted atone end between the l side walls of said shank adjacent the free end thereof and bearing against the end wall thereof when swung outwardly, said shield being adapted to straddle the cutting edge of the ax head in shielding relation thereto when the guard is extended.

`6. An ax comprising a head, a handle extending from said head and formed along its front with aY longitudinally extending pocket, and a guard for the cutting edge of the aX head movable frornva folded position within the pocket to an extended positionV and consisting of a shank of a lengthto ex` tend longitudinally within the pocket when l folded and being pivotally mounted at oner end and having spaced side walls vand an end wall at its free end, and a channeled shield pivoted at one end between the side walls of said shank adjacent the free end thereof and bearing aga-inst the end wall iY thereof when swung outwardly, said shield being adapted to straddle the cutting edge A of the ax head in shielding vvrelation thereto when the guard is'extend'edand when folded being Ydisposed between the side walls of the f l shank withits free end bearing against the pivotpin of the shank and projecting from v the pocket whereby the shield vmay be grasped and together with theV shank swung outwardly to an extended position. n

Inv testimony whereof I airix'my signature."

ROBERT E. BROWN. [M y 

